A little about me and how I came to jewellery making.

I grew up George Town, Tasmania, a small town on an estuary - kanamaluka/Tamar River. Our house was next to the river, and the beach and adjacent headland were my playgrounds.

Our home was replete with books and art works, and amongst the latter was the silversmithing work that had been made by my English grandparents Biff and Eileen Barker. They were both consummate artists and I think I was influenced from a young age by the beautiful pieces of theirs - and those of other artists' - that filled our house. My other grandfather, Frank Case, was an Australian watchmaker and had died long before I was born, but I spent many hours as a child delving into his watchmaker's cabinet that we had inherited, fascinated by the drawers full of tiny mechanisms, parts, and tools. I was always encouraged at home by my mother Jean - who was a high school art teacher - to do "arty" things like drawing, ceramics, weaving, macrame etc and I was often dragged off (willingly!) to weekend long craft workshops . My father Lionel was an engineer who let me muck around with tools in his workshop, making things out of scraps of timber etc. It was definitely a stimulating and creative environment!

Despite this arty upbringing....I had plans to be a marine biologist and was on track to study that at university when I "accidentally" took a jewellery making class while I was on exchange in the US for my senior year (year 12). That was it - I was totally hooked and marine biology went out the window! On my return to Australia, I attended what was then known as the Tasmanian State Institute of Technology (later became UTAS) and did a Visual Arts degree, majoring in Jewellery and Silversmithing, graduating in 1987. I consider myself very lucky to have been taught by two brilliant tutors, Eugenie Keefer Bell, and Ray Norman each of whom had very different approaches. Eugenie was a stickler for good technique and attention to detail, so I got a very solid grounding in that side of things. When Eugenie left, Ray took over from her in my 4th and 5th years and he had an amazingly refreshing approach to technique, ideas and execution. For Ray, rules were made to be broken, everything was to be questioned.  Ray's definition of technique was "something you do more than once - on purpose". Having two teachers with such radically different ways of doing things really benefited my development as a maker.

Although I didn't follow the path of a scientist, the art form I've chosen has allowed me to express that aspect of my personality.  I really enjoy the technical side of jewellery making and the problem solving involved in making pieces. Metal is an incredible medium, it appears hard and yet is so yielding.  Many of the tools and techniques haven't changed all that much over the millennia, so there's an incredibly rich history and tradition.  Not only do I feel part of that long history, but I have my grandparents' work still around me to continually inspire me.  

To be continued....